http://www.cockeyed.com/ Oscar award winning comedy en-us Saturday, May 18, 2013 10:05:00 GMT Saturday, May 18, 2013 10:05:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Handcrafted http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_elevator.html On a trip to the Innovations Pavillion, to view a display of armor from Iron Man 3, we needed to make a dash for the bathroom. The elevator seemed to be the quickest way out. Unfortunately, after the doors closed, they wouldn't open. Saturday, May 18, 2013 11:15:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_elevator.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/fog_machine/fog_machine.html Fog machines use sticky fluid which flows easily with regular use but dries into gum when it is left to sit in the non-halloween months. The symptoms of a gummed-up fog machine are a machine that turns on, lights up, warms up and hums, but does not produce fog vapor. Tuesday, May 14, 2013 11:15:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/fog_machine/fog_machine.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/smart_phone/replaced_by_smartphone.html The other day my phone died. Not permanently, I just ran out of power when I was out, away from a charger. I wasn't helpless, but I kept reaching for the phone anyway, to check the time or to make a note. I really use the phone for many, many different things now. It got me thinking I could assemble a pile of all the things my phone replaced. Saturday, May 11, 2013 11:15:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/smart_phone/replaced_by_smartphone.html http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_lost_and_found.html Disneyland is a great place to lose something. Most visitors feel like guests and are visiting an idealized version of the real world. This environment adds to a people's charitable nature, unless you are trying to cut in line. Thursday, May 9, 2013 11:15:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_lost_and_found.html http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_kids_photos.html Last fall Disneyland started printing names onto tickets, and checking IDs, but that didn't work for kids. This year, in January of 2013, they started taking everybody's picture. Monday, May 9, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_kids_photos.html http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_parking_lot.html The first bad news came in the Disneyland offsite parking lot, labelled the "Toy Story" lot. We piled into the Honda Pilot and drove one mile from our rental house to Disneyland where we paid $15 to park. The lot had just opened for the day, and hundreds of cars were arriving at the same time as ours. We were waved into a spot next to two other family cars. Monday, May 6, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_parking_lot.html http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_intro.html I took a chance and bought some Disneyland tickets on Craigslist Saturday, May 4, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/travel/disneyland_2013/disneyland_intro.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/get_it_together_walmart/get_it_together.html Walmart, you know we need you and we love you, but it is time for a change. We've been noticing that things are getting a little bit out of control in your stores, and I got organized today with a message: Walmart, get your shit together. Monday, April 29, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/get_it_together_walmart/get_it_together.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/umbrella_stand/umbrella_stand.html Do you know what is a more cost-effective home improvement project than replacing the canopy on your patio umbrella? Pouring your own concrete patio umbrella holder! Monday, April 15, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/umbrella_stand/umbrella_stand.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/umbrella/umbrella.html In my case, a patio umbrella was our latest victim. The fabric was worn down til it was nearly transparent, then it ripped in a windstorm, and ripped again when I tried to repair the threadbare canopy. Friday, April 12, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/umbrella/umbrella.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/beer_cozy/beer_cozy.html How effective is a beer cozy at keeping a beer cold? I did this experiment all wrong. Well, the experiment was conducted well, but it was the wrong experiment. Tuesday, April 2, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/beer_cozy/beer_cozy.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/coinstar_pennies/coinstar_pennies.html The US government keeps making pennies. Why? Because people aren't spending them... they are just holding them. Saturday, March 23, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/coinstar_pennies/coinstar_pennies.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/pitbulls/pitbulls.html We had some drama on the block last week, as our neighbor suffered an attempted break-in/home invasion in the wee morning hours. The good news is that no one was hurt and the burglary was thwarted. The better news is that he has cameras. Thursday, March 21, 2013 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/pitbulls/pitbulls.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/taco_shell/eggshell_vs_taco_shell.html Taco shells are notoriously fragile. They break all the time. They break in the box. They break when you open the box, they break when you fill them with taco fixin's. They break when you set them down, they break when you pick them up. That's the reputation. Taco shells can't take the pressure, and this is a big problem. This is the reason no one manufactures cars in Mexico. Monday, March 18, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/taco_shell/eggshell_vs_taco_shell.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/drivethru_menus/introduction.html Last week I went back and took another look. I compared the menus and prices from two time periods at seven fast food restaurants: McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, Carl's Jr., Wendy's, El Pollo Loco and In-n-Out. Tuesday, March 12, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/drivethru_menus/introduction.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/headlight/headlight.html The headlight lenses are the first thing to go. But they are probably the easiest to renew, as it turns out, almost as easy as washing the car. Wednesday, March 6, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/headlight/headlight.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/shoe_store/shoe_store.html Last weekend a huge yardsale exploded onto the corner house with hundreds of shoeboxes, discount jeans, a sign-waver, mannequins and clothing racks and oppressive crowds of people. It was like an entire swap meet, jammed onto one front yard. Friday, March 1, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/shoe_store/shoe_store.html http://www.cockeyed.com/pranks/mentos/mentos_bomb.html Could you freeze Mentos into ice cubes and use them to get a geyser-like explosion out of a soda once the ice melted? Tuesday, February 25, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/pranks/mentos/mentos_bomb.html http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/bacon_candle/bacon_candle.html After frying some bacon, I considered the leftover bacon grease and realized this by-product could be the main ingredient for a new candle project: The bacon candle. Sunday, February 17, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/bacon_candle/bacon_candle.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/yankee_candle/yankee_candle_vs_christmas_lights.html The candle came with instructions, and the label on the bottom claimed the candle would burn from between 110-150 hours. I needed to double-check those numbers. Saturday, February 16, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/yankee_candle/yankee_candle_vs_christmas_lights.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/visualizer/body_count.html It is impossible to grasp the magnatude of some tragedies. When a number of people die at the same time, it can be hard to wrap your head around the social and emotional impact of a terrible event. Monday, February 11, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/visualizer/body_count.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/slushy_magic/slushy_magic.html Slushy Magic, for anyone who doesn't know, is a plastic cup which can quickly freeze juice and transform it into a fun icy slurry. I was sceptical before we tried it, but sure enough, it works! Thursday, February 7, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/slushy_magic/slushy_magic.html http://www.cockeyed.com/pranks/whole_mall/whole_mall.html Not long ago, I was invited onstage to the Retrocrush Comedy Variety Show with Rob Berry to talk about how awesome I am, and I came armed with an audience-ready prank call. Sunday, February 3, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/pranks/whole_mall/whole_mall.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/walmart_vs_target/walmart_vs_target.html Just as in the last test, I assembled a shopping list of 20 items, from sunscreen to car wash, and visited both stores to see which batch I could buy with the smallest amount of money. Wednesday, January 30, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/walmart_vs_target/walmart_vs_target.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/drink_toppings/drink_toppings.html From Jamba Juice to Baskin Robbins and Carl's Jr., every glamour shot of a frozen drink reveals an exact copy of its neighbor's topping. Saturday, January 26, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/drink_toppings/drink_toppings.html http://cockeyed.com/citizen/infamous/infamous_nicknames.html Whenever there is a shooting spree or celebrity murder, people wonder if the killer did it for fame. Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono believe this was the motivation for the murder of John Lennon in 1980. Saturday, January 19, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://cockeyed.com/citizen/infamous/infamous_nicknames.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/ice_rink/ice_rink.html Back in November, I caught Brian from Studio 33 setting up the outdoor ice skating rink in Folsom. Saturday, January 12, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/ice_rink/ice_rink.html http://www.cockeyed.com//citizen/calculations/calc_menux.html This section features every multiplication problem from 1x1 to 99x99. Wednesday, January 9, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com//citizen/calculations/calc_menux.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/shaken_vs_stirred/shaken_vs_stirred.html Why would someone care about the manner in which their martini was mixed? Stirring is the world's favorite manner of mixing fluids, probably because it is much easier and requires less equipment than shaking. If shaking is superior, I was determined to find out why. Saturday, January 5, 2013 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/shaken_vs_stirred/shaken_vs_stirred.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/power_use_database/watt_test_menu.html Using my handheld Watt meter, I tested every electrical item I could thing of, inside and outside of the house. Click a photo to see the results for that item. Sunday, December 30, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/power_use_database/watt_test_menu.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/doctor_airplane/doctor_airplane.html My friend Drew is a doctor. I am not. Recently he posted a note to Facebook that he had been summoned into action onboard a flight. He was the doctor who responded when they asked over the speaker, "Is there a doctor in the house?" Thursday, December 27, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/doctor_airplane/doctor_airplane.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/orthodox_jew/orthodox_jew.html My friend Miryam is Jewish. I am not. We were talking about "Secret Santa" gift exchanges, and the question came up as to what an appropriate gift would be for an Orthodox Jew. The rules are complicated. There are even rules against re-gifting! There is practically an entire language written around these rules. I was out of my depth. Friday, December 21, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/orthodox_jew/orthodox_jew.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/facebook_gift/facebook_gift.html Maggie Mason told me about Facebook gifts. This new feature allows Facebook friends to send real, physical gifts without having to share street addresses. AND, as a bonus, Facebook lets the recipient swap the gift for something else in their catalog. Friday, December 14, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/facebook_gift/facebook_gift.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/christmas_lights_energy/christmas_lights_power1.html There seems to be a lot of concern about how much money other people are spending on electricity for their Christmas lights. I'm happy to report, it doesn't cost much. Monday, December 10, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/christmas_lights_energy/christmas_lights_power1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/no_insurance/no_insurance.html A few years ago, my friend Alex got into a car accident. She wasn't insured and she was at fault. It all unfolded just like you probably think it would. Her story is below. Monday, December 10, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/no_insurance/no_insurance.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/aarons/aarons1.html There is only one other nationwide player in the Rent-to-Own retail business, Aarons. God help you if you screw up your credit and are left to buy things here, because you'd get better prices in prison. Friday, November 30, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/aarons/aarons1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/walmart_varys/walmart_vary.html Have you ever wondered if different Walmart stores charge different amounts for the same products? I kind of assumed that they had the same prices across their stores, but once I began analyzing that assumption, I started having doubts. Wednesday, November 21, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/walmart_varys/walmart_vary.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/yourdailyjobsearch/YourDailyJobSearch.html Got an email from "News Tips for All", which enticed me to follow their link to apply for the following job: Web Coordinator for the Medi-Cal Bulletin Jobs Monday, November 19, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/yourdailyjobsearch/YourDailyJobSearch.html http://cockeyed.com/lessons/watch/tell_time.html Almost every clock used to be round with two needles which point at numbers. These clocks remain very popular, and it is important to be able to tell time with these "analog" clocks Saturday, November 17, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://cockeyed.com/lessons/watch/tell_time.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/change_oil/oil_change1.html Changing the oil in your car is similar to changing the litter in your cat box. You dump out the old stuff, check for problems and dump in a fresh batch. The primary difference is that if you make any big mistakes with the car oil, you can destroy your engine or even kill yourself. Sunday, November 11, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/change_oil/oil_change1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/googlieeyes/googlie1.html I realized this year that googlie eyes are key to winning costume contests. Looking back at my ridiculous array of costumes through the years, the costumes with oversized googly eyes have fared the best Friday, November 9, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/googlieeyes/googlie1.html http://www.retrocrush.com/show.html Come down to the Sacramento Comedy Spot on Saturday evening to see me on stage without a costume! Wednesday, November 7, 2012 11:05:00 GMT http://www.retrocrush.com/show.html http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume7.html With Halloween falling on a Wednesday, all the big contests had been on Saturday, with smaller parties happening at clubs on Halloween night. I found one with a $1,000 contest. Wednesday, November 7, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume7.html http://cockeyed.com/science/freezer_explosion/freezer_explosion1.html After extensive experimentation discovering faster ways to chill beer, I have to admit, using the freezer is easiest. Sure, cooling something with air takes twice as long, but it's dry, and requires no set-up. The freezer has an additional problem: Your drinks might explode Monday, November 7, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://cockeyed.com/science/freezer_explosion/freezer_explosion1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume5.html Results from the first halloween costume contest! Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume5.html http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/atst_costume/atst_costume1.html My friend Scott Holden finished building an amazing costume from Return of the Jedi. Friday, October 26, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/atst_costume/atst_costume1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume1.html Inspired by oversized costumes I've been seeing lately, I decided to try a tornado costume. The engineering feat would be to get it to spin around like a top, with me inside. Monday, October 22, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/spinning_tornado/spinning_tornado_costume1.html http://www.cockeyed.com/workfromhome/es/work_from_home01.html Gracias por leyendo mi articulo de "Trabajar Desde Su Casa" signos. Este artículo es muy popular, tan popular que los límites de el ancho de banda de mi sitio se han visto afectados seriamente Thursday, October 18, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/workfromhome/es/work_from_home01.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/electric_car/electric_car_swap.html Feeling tethered by your short range electric car? You can borrow my car for a long trip. Thursday, October 11, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/electric_car/electric_car_swap.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/toilet/toilet.html How does a toilet work? Let me explain it to you by inventing a history of toilet construction. Sunday, October 7, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/toilet/toilet.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/audiogram/audiogram_interview.html I noticed that Improv Everywhere had an announcement on their site today, regarding a new project. I asked Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere's ringleader, for a little interview. Saturday, October 6, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/audiogram/audiogram_interview.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_cups/cold_cups.html The Jamba Juice smoothie was the least cold, at a mere 29F, but it had a redeeming quality: a styrofoam cup. Wednesday, October 3, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_cups/cold_cups.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/LED_bulbs/LED_bulbs.html An article which compares power, price, impact resistance, heat and life expectancy of LED bulbs vs. CFLs and halogens Monday, October 1, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/LED_bulbs/LED_bulbs.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_drinks/cold_drinks.html What's the coldest drink in town? Icee. It says so right on the cup. However, if you were completely obsessed with the real temperature of things, and you lived in Sacramento with two kids and a reliable car, you might be tempted to actually find out. Wednesday, September 26, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_drinks/cold_drinks.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_beer/cold_salt.html I really enjoyed all of the feedback I received after posting the "cooling down beer" science project. Much of the feedback encouraged me to try using salt to increase the cooling effect of the ice. At first, I wasn't convinced. This was because I didn't understand what the salt would be doing in the icewater mix. Monday, September 24, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com//science/cold_beer/cold_salt.html http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/weedeater/weedeater.html My weedeater lasted about a year before the cord broke. I probably used it on my lawn 20 times, trimming grass and slowly cutting a channel into the edge of my lawn where the grass grows out onto the cement. Thursday, September 20, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/lessons/weedeater/weedeater.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_beer/coors_light_decoder.html Coors Light beer cans are manufactured with a precise two-stage thermometer, which, by color change, indicates an exact temperature from between 60° and 41° Fahrenheit. At warm temperatures, the bars are both gray. At cooler temps, the bars are blue. Tuesday, September 18, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/cold_beer/coors_light_decoder.html http://www.cockeyed.com//science/cold_beer/cold_beer.html Beer. I prefer to drink it cold. Unfortunately, sometimes the beer which I have is warm. This usually happens when we are planning a party, because I buy a bunch of beer on pallets at Costco. Monday, September 17, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com//science/cold_beer/cold_beer.html http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/breaking_bad/breaking_bad.html How much is inside that stack of money on Breaking Bad? Spoiler Alert. This article spoils a scene in the middle of the fifth season of the television show Breaking Bad. Monday, September 10, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/breaking_bad/breaking_bad.html http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/cupcake/cupcakes.html Considering this shift, I pondered the question; what portion of a regular cake does one cupcake represent? Wednesday, September 5, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/cupcake/cupcakes.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/treasure_hunt/treasure_hunt.html I made a little treasure hunt for my kids last weekend, and here is how it played out. Thursday, August 30, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/treasure_hunt/treasure_hunt.html http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/kaiser/kaiser.html I was pretty impressed by the application. The PDF was 24 pages, letter-sized, with the majority of the questions related to health. Thursday, August 23, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/kaiser/kaiser.html http://cockeyed.com/lessons/seatbelt/seatbelt.html A twisted seatbelt is pretty easy to fix. It doesn't require a wrench, or removing the spool inside the door. All you have to do is slip the twist back through the sliding metal buckle. Wednesday, August 22, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://cockeyed.com/lessons/seatbelt/seatbelt.html http://cockeyed.com/science/hairdryer/hairdryer.html Which would melt an ice cube faster? A 1600 Watt hairdryer or a bowl of water? Sunday, August 19, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://cockeyed.com/science/hairdryer/hairdryer.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/maps/wedding_maps.html Have you ever heard of pirates leaving a list of directions to find their treasure? No. They don't write down directions. They make maps. Monday, August 13, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/maps/wedding_maps.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/homework/homework_problems.html I began to draw up a page of practice problems for the kids, but quit halfway, opting instead to build some sheets of problems with Excel's randbetween function and Word's mail merge capabilities. Thursday, August 2, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/homework/homework_problems.html http://www.cockeyed.com/science/movie_bathroom/movie_bathroom.html A few weeks back, while watching The Amazing Spiderman in the theatre, I had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, if I left my seat, I knew I would miss some of the movie. Thursday, July 26, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/science/movie_bathroom/movie_bathroom.html http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/batman/dark_knight_rises.html What a surreal, visceral experience. It was something I'll never experience again. Saturday, July 21, 2012 10:05:00 GMT http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/batman/dark_knight_rises.html